Some time ago I suggested Japan’s plans to build a military amphibious capability might offer an opportunity for the UK Royal Marine Commandos to contribute to UK-Japan Defence Cooperation. I am glad to offer this alert about a talk that may be of interest in this regard –

On October 10 at 1830-2000 hours, Mr. Toby Middleton on “The Wide Utility of Amphibious Forces,” at GRIPS

TOPIC: “The Wide Utility of Amphibious Forces”
LECTURER: Mr. Toby Middleton (BMT Defence Services Ltd)
DATE: Friday, October 10 at 1830-2000 hours
VENUE: GRIPS Research Meeting Room 4A (4th floor)
(http://www.grips.ac.jp/en/about/access/)Outline:
As Japan considers investing in new capabilities for remote island defence,
including amphibious capabilities, Colonel Toby Middleton, formerly of the
British Royal Marines, will discuss the wide utility of these capabilities.
Designed to project power from the sea onto the land, its capacity to create
effects from distance and across a significant range provide huge options
for any commander in the maritime domain, and dilemmas of uncertainty for an
incumbent enemy. The spectrum of military roles spans from full amphibious
assaults, raids and withdrawals to anti-piracy, littoral patrolling and
non-combatant evacuations. There is also considerable potential for such a
multi-faceted force, operating independently from a sea base, employed in
support of humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Colonel Middleton
reviews this breadth of opportunities from an operator’s perspective,
highlighting the powerful synergy available when operating such a diverse
but fully integrated force. He will outline the key components and
approaches to creating such a force, and preparing it for this spread of
tasks. Aiming to stimulate questions and discussion, this short presentation
intends to both inform and promote further thought on enhancing and
exploiting the full capacity of Japan’s maturing amphibious capability.Speaker Profile:
Colonel Toby Middleton joined the British Royal Marines in 1986. His career
followed the typical path of an officer in the United Kingdom’s Commando
Forces, serving both at sea and on land in a variety of command and staff
roles. Operational deployments included duty in Northern Ireland, Bosnia,
Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. He specialised as a Landing Craft Officer,
leading to posts directly responsible for creating amphibious effect, such
as commanding the UK’s amphibious raiding squadron and overseeing the Ship
to Objective Manoeuvre component of the UK Amphibious Task Force. His final
role was as the Director of Training at the Commando Training Centre Royal
Marines. He retired in 2013 and is now Head of Business Development
Amphibious Platforms for BMT Defence Services Ltd, a UK based marine
engineering consultancy.To participate:
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